This website is dedicated to those who served in the 551st Strategic Missile Squadron (Atlas F-ICBM) located at the Lincoln Air Force Base in Nebraska.

The life span at Lincoln AFB was short, 1961 to 1965, four years, but they were four of the hottest years of the Cold War.

Members took their turns performing alert duty, maintenance and support activities as part of SAC during the Cuban Crisis. Their presence for the first time gave America "hard" ICBM site. Missiles that could not easily be destroyed by foreign missiles and bombs. The Atlas F squadrons were able to strike back during periods of attack. At the time, President John F. Kennedy of the United States had enlisted six (6) squadrons of these Atlas F missiles, with twelve (12) missile sites assigned to each squadron. At the same time, the Air Force also had the Titan 1 system under construction at various bases.

The 551 SMS was one of the first fully combat ready squadrons and the last to stand alert in 1965. During it's four years of existence, it became the test bed of the entire Atlas F system besides hosting hundreds of visitors from SAC headquarters at Offutt AFB.